“I’ll grab you one of my shirts if you want to shower. I am pretty beat.” He stepped away from me, pulled open the drawers, and grabbed a t-shirt to hand it to me. I didn’t even bother talking, I simply heading toward the bathroom and locked the door behind me.

After showering I tiptoed back into the dark room highlighted only by the television. Ky was motionless in bed; his chest rose like it did when he was in a deep sleep and I sighed in defeat.

I climbed into bed and my earlier exhaustion I felt quickly left my body as I rolled to my side and looked out the window at the falling snow.

“You’re the first girl I’ve had in this bed,” Ky whispered into the darkness, and I jumped at his admission and felt my stomach drop.

I flipped over to face him and propped my head up with my hand. “You never had girlfriends?”

“I did but my mom and dad never let me have a girl in my room and definitely not in my bed. I told you that they would like you. They are letting you corrupt their son.”

My laughter was muffled as I dropped my mouth to his bare chest at the absurdness of his statement. His arm wrapped around my shoulders and his laughter fell against my hair.

“And I’ve never had a girl in here who I’ve liked as much as you.”

My heart stammered in my chest.

“I really fucking like you Eden Rivers.”

Through the light drifting in from the street lamp outside I saw a wicked look sweep over his face, a look I had witnessed so many times before.

“Remember when you were at the photo shoot and I asked you to be quiet. Can you do that again?”

My heart rate increased and instantly my core awoke. “Ky! Really? In your childhood bedroom with your parents down the hall?”

“I’m not going to have sex with you Eden.” He shifted his body down over my chest and my hips; his hot breath danced on my lower stomach as he pushed up my shirt. With strong hands he lifted my hips from the bed and slid my panties down my thighs until they sat beside me on the bed. “I am going to finally give you the Christmas gift I’ve wanted to give you all day.”

Oh.

Oh!

 

I reluctantly left Eden in bed after the most exhilarating morning sex of my life. Her body responded to my touch like I was the air in her lungs, like she needed it to survive. To say it didn’t stroke my ego would be a lie. A huge day was ahead of me, a day that would involve back to back meetings, lunch with Josh, and then organizing everything for the night I had planned with Eden.

Eden had officially gotten to me, and there was no way I could deny it any longer.  She had squeezed her way so far into my heart that now I would be ruined for anyone else but I couldn’t be happier. What I was quickly learning was that there were no rules when it came to Eden and me, and that was what I cherished the most. We seemed to give each other what we needed, when we needed it.

And what I needed now was for her to stay.

Tonight I would ask her just that.

I needed her in my life—it was as simple as that. I had waited too many years for this moment and now that it was in my grasp I wasn’t letting it go. Tonight I would tell her everything. I would admit my fears, my insecurities, my reasons, and who I really was. Over the past week I had let myself completely fall for her, something I had tried desperately to stop. How was I going to be able to watch her leave? There was no way in hell that I would let her walk away from me. I couldn’t even begin to comprehend that.

My day progressed like a freight train. Back to back meetings took up every minute of my morning and it wasn’t until Josh walked through my door that I finally looked up from my laptop.

“Lunch!” he announced with certainty. “We are going out of the office, get your ass up.”

“Fuck me. Your panties in a knot baby brother?” I laughed and logged out then closed my laptop. I looked down at my phone and immediately opened my inbox.

Ky: My asshole of a brother is taking me for lunch. Are you in the city? We are heading to Sami’s for burgers if you are.

Eden: I am desperate for a burger but I’m on the island. Scouting some places for the final shoot before I finish the project. Enjoy lunch and I’ll see you tonight.

Ky: I have big plans for tonight.

Eden: Like what?

Ky: It’s a surprise but I am sure I’ll end the night between your thighs

Eden: You have a wicked tongue.

Ky: That’s what you said the other night.

“Are you finished having phone sex?” Josh mused from the door. I shot him a ‘fuck off’ look and slammed my phone into my pocket as we finally left the office.

I needed to talk to Josh about my plans. I knew he was the one person who would give me brutal honesty, and that was what I craved. We caught a cab across town toward our favorite burger joint. Sami’s had been our go to place for years.

The moment we walked in we were hit.

“The Crawford boys! Where have you been? Sami has missed you!” Sami was a boisterous Greek man who loved nothing more than kissing our cheeks every time we came to his diner and today was no different. He fussed over us both, ruffling our hair like we were kids, and the fact that we were twenty-four and twenty-six seemed to have been lost. “Go sit down, I’ll bring you your usual orders!”

We took our regular table toward the back and the usual chatter of the packed diner intensified. Sami’s was right on the river and one of those hidden jewels that only regulars and locals knew about. Black and white photos of icons from the fifties and sixties graced the off-white walls which complemented the red, white, and black trim and a jukebox that hadn’t worked for years sat in the far corner. When Josh and I needed downtime from the office, this was where we would have lunch.

Two Cokes were placed in front of us by Angelica, Sami’s even more boisterous and touchy feely wife. She moved beside the table, hands on hips and looked between Josh and me. Oh fuck, here it comes.

“When are you two marrying my girls?”

“Ky’s got a girlfriend, and you know me, I can’t settle down yet.”

Her shriek pierced my ears. “Baby, you’ve got a girlfriend?”

Oh yes, I should have mentioned my nickname is Baby and Josh’s is Toots.

Girlfriend.

Was she my girlfriend? We had everything in our lives that would suggest we were in a relationship. She was living at my apartment; she was in my bed every night; she was the first person I saw in the morning and the last person I saw at night, and I was having the best sex of my life. She took up my every thought and when I thought of the future I saw her face.

Girlfriend.

“I think I do Angie.”

Josh whipped around to look at me with surprised eyes as he tried to come to terms with my admission. Fuck, I was still trying to come to terms with it.

“Well she better know who she’s got Baby. I’ll go put in your regular orders. Double bacon and cheese for you Toots and Sami’s Special for you Baby, with extra cheese. I’ve missed you two.” Before she turned on her heel and rushed off in a tizzy, Angelica fell into a zone as she gazed over both of us.

“Well I was going to ask how things were with you and Eden but fuck me it seems like you are officially pussy-whipped. Ky ‘I’ll always be single’ Crawford has a girlfriend.”

“Things are as confusing as fuck yet like nothing I could imagine. I’ve fallen hard for Eden, and its scaring the fuck out of me.”

“Mom is going to be planning your wedding, I hope you know that.”

“Jesus, let me ask her to stay first.”

After an amazing burger, Josh and I headed back to the office. My mind was filled with thoughts of the upcoming night. After my chat with Josh, I was more determined than ever to make it perfect. I needed her to see that she was protected, that she was adored, and that she was wanted.